Russian General Aleksander Samsonov, 1913.

Aleksander Samsonov (November 2, 1859 - August 29, 1914) was a Russian military leader during World War I. Image File history File links Samsonov. ... Image File history File links Samsonov. ... November 2 is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 59 days remaining. ... 1859 is a common year starting on Saturday. ... August 29 is the 241st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (242nd in leap years), with 124 days remaining. ... 1914 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... World War I was primarily a European conflict with many facets: immense human sacrifice, stalemate trench warfare, and the use of new, devastating weapons - tanks, aircraft, machineguns, and poison gas. ...

He joined the Russian Army at age 18 and fought in the Russo-Turkish War, 1877-78. After the war Samsonov attended the Nikolaevsky Military Academy in St. Petersburg. He commanded a cavalry unit during the Boxer Rebellion (1900) and the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05). The Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 had its origins in the Russian goal of gaining access to the Mediterranean Sea and dominating Constantinople (Istanbul) and the adjacent Turkish Straits. ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and Petrograd (Петрогра́д, 1914–1924), is a city located in Northwestern Russia on the delta of the river Neva at the east end of the Gulf of Finland... Boxer forces in Tianjin The Boxer Uprising (Traditional Chinese: 義和團起義; Simplified Chinese: 义和团起义; pinyin: ; Righteous Harmony Society Uprising) was an uprising against Western commercial and political influence in China during the final years of the 19th century. ... Greater Manchuria, Russian (outer) Manchuria is region to upper right in lighter Red; Liaodong Peninsula is the wedge extending into the Yellow Sea The Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905) was an extremely bloody conflict that grew out of the rival imperialist ambitions of Russia and Japan in Manchuria and Korea. ...

Through these conflicts Samsonov gained a reputation as an energetic and resourceful leader, but some were critical of his strategic abilities. After the Battle of Mukden in 1905 he accused General Paul von Rennenkampf of failing to assist him during the fighting and the two men came to blows. After the Russo-Japanese War Samsonov was made Chief-of-Staff of Warsaw Military District and later as military leader in Turkestan. Russian General Paul von Rennenkampf, 1905. ...

With the start of World War I, Samsonov was given command of the Russian Second Army for the invasion of East Prussia. He advanced slowly into the south western corner of East Prussia intending to link up with General Rennenkampf advancing from the north east section. However, lack of communication between the two would hinder coordination. East Prussia (German: Ostpreu en; Polish: Prusy Wschodnie; Russian: Восточная Пруссия — Vostochnaya Prussiya) was a province of Kingdom of Prussia, situated on the territory of former Ducal Prussia. ...

General (later Field Marshal) Paul von Hindenburg and General Erich Ludendorff, whom were sent to replace General Maximilian von Prittwitz, engaged Samsonov's advancing forces. They made contact on August 22 and for six days the Russians, possessing numerical superiority, had some successes. However, by August 29 Samsonov's Second Army was surrounded at Tannenberg. Paul von Hindenburg President of Germany Paul von Hindenburg (full name Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg) (October 2, 1847 – August 2, 1934) was a German Field Marshal and statesman. ... General Erich Ludendorff Erich Ludendorff (sometimes given incorrectly as Erich von Ludendorff) (April 9, 1865 – December 20, 1937, Tutzing, Bavaria, Germany) was a German Army officer, noted as a general during World War I. Ludendorff was born in Kruszewnia near Posen, Prussia (now PoznaÅ„, Poland). ... Maximilian von Prittwitz (1848-1929) was a German general of Silesian descent. ... Stębark (German:Tannenberg) is a village in Poland. ...

General Samsonov attempted to retreat, but with his army now trapped in a German encirclement, most of his troops were killed or captured. Only 10,000 of the 150,000 Russian soldiers managed to escape the cordon. Shocked by the disastrous outcome of the battle and unable to face reporting the scale of the disaster to Tsar Nicholas II, Samsonov committed suicide by a shot to the head on August 29, 1914. Tsar Nicholas II (18 May 1868 to 17 July 1918)1 was the last crowned Emperor of Russia. ...